World Weekend Boxing Preview: Braehmer, Pascal, Rosado

ByDanny Wilson

There’s a few good bouts scheduled for this evening across the globe and we kick things off by heading to the EWE Arena in Oldenberg, Germany.

WBA light heavyweight king Juergen Braehmer, 44-2 (32), puts his belt on the line for the third time as he meets Poland’s Pawel Glazewski, 23-2 (5).

Glazewski has won a handful of regional titles a few years back and lost a split decision to Roy Jones in 2012 and it’s a bit of a mystery how he has qualified for a world title opportunity.

But that’s the level of competition favored by Team Brahmer, who have yet to face any top level opponents over the course of five bouts during his two world title reigns.

At 36, cagey southpaw Braehmer could be in danger of never truly having tested himself before hanging up the gloves.

Jumping over the Atlantic to Canada, we land in Montreal’s Bell Centre, where former WBC light heavyweight king Jean Pascal, 29-2-1 (17), tangles with Argentine veteran Roberto Bolonti, 35-3 (24).

Bolonti was widely outpointed in both his world title challenge to Braehmer earlier this year and against Tony Bellew in 2012 so he should go the distance against Pascal but has very little chance of actually winning.

Pascal is coming off a massive domestic win over former longtime IBF super middle champ Lucian Bute in January and will have to shake off the ring rust before getting down to business.

Speaking of Canadians, one of Montreal’s top fighters, middleweight David Lemeiux, 32-2 (30), gets a big step up to the spotlight in America as he faces two-time world middleweight title challenger Gabriel Rosado, 21-8 (13), at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Rosado, who’s actually a light middleweight, has gone 0-3 with 1 No Contest over his last four appearances, all but one at middleweight, against Gennady Golovkin, Peter Quillin, Jermell Charlo and J’Leon Love.

Which means he’s far more experienced than Lemeiux, who has knocked out a long list of mostly obscure opponents aside from Fernando Guerrero and lost to Joachim Alcine and Marco Antonio Rubio.

Lemeiux will have to avoid getting dragged into a close quarters fight with Rosado if he is to walk out of Barclays Center with a victory. If Rosado can cut off the ring and avoid getting caught flush by the heavy-handed visitor, he could outwork Lemeiux and maybe even produce a late stoppage.